Work Rights for PLHIV

December 11, 2011
Better work rights for PLHIV
By AUDREY EDWARDS
Star

World AIDS Day came and went on Dec 1. Malaysia is among many countries that have, for decades, combated the virus which affects even the job prospects of those who live with it.

HIS potential employers, relates Nicholas (not his real name), sounded enthusiastic at the job interview. Until it came to the topic of the pre-entry medical check-up.

Not knowing the extent of the tests that would be done, the 30-something-year-old decided to disclose his HIV status.

“I decided to tell them about it because I didn't think they would have a problem with it. But I could see their facial expressions change when I told them. I knew then that my chances of getting the job were affected. They told me that they would have to obtain the opinion of their panel of doctors,” he says.

He did not get the job.

“They didn't tell me why but I felt it was because of my status,” Nicholas says. “I was being honest about it.”

Diagnosed with HIV in 2009, Nicholas receives free medication and has found employment elsewhere.

“But the rejection has left me feeling inadequate,” he says, adding that he is in “perfect health”.

“It is a lesson learnt. Next time, I am not going to say anything.”

Dino (not his real name) also found himself in the same spot after he revealed his HIV status to his employers.

This was after the Human Resources Department at the government-linked company (GLC) he worked for started questioning him on why he needed regular medical check-ups.

At that time, HIV medication was not yet subsidised by the Health Ministry and it cost him about RM2,000 monthly. He was told that his company's health insurance coverage did not extend to medical treatment for HIV/AIDS.

Dino, who was bonded to the company for a scholarship he had received from it, was then halfway through his bond but was soon “graciously released” after his disclosure.

“In a way, I was disappointed since I wanted to stay on. Several of my peers, despite holding scholarships from this GLC, decided not to work for it, or worse, never even returned to Malaysia. Here I was, serving the company and my country, and I was turned away because of my health,” he says.

He subsequently went to work overseas but returned a few years later and is now working with a multinational company that has a sound HIV policy in place.

Dino says he does not divulge his HIV-status in his professional life as he does not believe it has any bearing on his capacity to work well.

“I do believe, however, that a lot of people still have misconceptions about HIV and will treat me differently if they find out,” he says.

Nicholas and Dino are among people living with HIV/AIDS (PLHIV) who have purportedly faced discrimination at the workplace simply due to their HIV status. Their claims, however, can be debated as they might have been turned away for reasons other than their status.

From 1986 to September 2011, Health Ministry statistics show there have been 93,827 HIV infections. A total of 2,465 new infections were detected for the first nine months of this year.

From 1986 to this September, some 86,622 HIV cases involved individuals aged between 20 and 49, the prime working age.

Right to employment

“But what are they (PLHIV) going to do? Bite everyone at the workplace?” asks infectious diseases specialist and Malaysian AIDS Foundation (MAF) chairman Prof Dr Adeeba Kamarulzaman.

She argues that with proper treatment and medication, PLHIV can lead normal lives with minimal risk of transmission.

“There is no reason for them not to be employed other than discrimination and because people are ill-informed,” she adds.

Dr Adeeba also says that doctors need to update their knowledge about HIV/AIDS in the event that employers consult them.

In addition, insurance companies should be educated on the need to have a policy that covers PLHIV, such as what is available in South Africa, she says.

Dr Adeeba adds that the Code of Practice on Prevention and Management of HIV/AIDS at the Workplace under the Human Resources Ministry's Department of Occupational Safety and Health, which was drawn up in 2001, needs to be renewed to suit current times.

She also suggests that the Government enact non-discriminatory laws that will help safeguard the rights of PLHIV at the workplace.

Former Malaysian AIDS Council executive director Bakhtiar Talhah supports the call, saying it will protect PLHIV from discrimination at the workplace. This, he says, is key to addressing the issue, in addition to providing knowledge and education for the public.

“There are many examples in several Commonwealth countries. Why shouldn't Malaysia follow suit?

“We have free and subsidised HIV medication at government hospitals now. Malaysians living with HIV are healthy and productive. Let them contribute to the prosperity and development of the nation.”

He opines that multinationals with good HIV policies could lead the way for other employers to reduce discrimination at the workplace.

“We hardly hear of good policies in place. I think it is easier for the large Malaysian companies and GLCs to adopt and adapt these policies first, before we can expect SMEs to follow suit,” he says.

“Countries such as Thailand and Australia have strong business coalitions that specifically deal with HIV issues at the workplace. Malaysia can learn a lot from our neighbours in this respect.”

A policy that respects

MAF honorary secretary Datin Mina Cheah-Foong stresses that all employees are covered by their company's insurance scheme and are not required to inform the panel doctors if they have an illness, including HIV.

“There should be no discrimination,” emphasises Cheah-Foong, who is also managing director of Rampai-Niaga Sdn Bhd, franchise holder for The Body Shop in Malaysia. “Just treat it and that's it.”

She believes that having a company policy that respects one's rights at the workplace, whether it involves sexual orientation, political beliefs or HIV status, creates a healthy work environment.

Cheah-Foong explains that while the question on whether a person has a pre-existing illness is common during recruitment, this is merely for insurance purposes.

“It is all about respecting others. You are hired to do a job,” she says.

If at any time an employee falls ill due to any sickness, she adds, the processes that would need to be looked at include re-assigning, redeploying or ultimately being medically boarded out.

Malaysian Employers Federation executive director Shamsuddin Bardan points out that there have been instances when an employee chose to resign upon knowing their diagnosis, not because employers discriminated against them or are reluctant to employ PLHIV.

“They could be depressed or shocked,” he opines, adding that the nature of the disease and stigma that surrounds it makes it a taboo subject at the office.

He believes that the code of practice is a practical guide for both employer and employee but more public awareness programmes need to be carried out to educate people about HIV/AIDS.

This, he says, needs to be done before considering whether laws are necessary.

“The code is still relevant, and what is needed is more effort to publicise it.”

FTA signals death knell for AIDS patients

K Pragalath
December 8, 2011
Freemalaysiatoday.com

Malaysia’s free trade agreement with the US will deprive them of affordable generic drugs.

PETALING JAYA: When Malaysia signs its free trade agreement (FTA) with the United States next July, it will be practically killing off thousands of Malaysians living with HIV and AIDS, according to an activist group.

The cost of medicines for AIDS patients would become prohibitive, said Edward Low, who heads the Positive Malaysian Treatment Access and Advocacy Group.

“We depend on anti-retroviral generic drugs,” he said. “With the FTA imposed, we would no longer be able to purchase generic drugs.”

To make matters worse, not all patients receive subsidised medication.

“The government is running on a deficit budget and there is not enough in the budget to subsidise medicine costs,” Low said.

Fewer than 10,000 AIDS patients receive subsidised medication. However, according to Low, the total in need of such medication is 27,600.

The United Nations estimates that 150,000 Malaysians are HIV positive, but the reported number of cases is only 93,000, according to Low.

In Kuala Lumpur today, Malaysian AIDS Council president Mohd Zaman Khan failed to hand over a memorandum against the FTA to Barbara Weisel, the Assistant US Trade Representative for South East Asia and the Pacific.

The attempt to submit the memorandum was made during a protest outside the International Trade and Industry Ministry, where negotiations on the FTA were taking place.

A representative from the ministry eventually turned up to collect the protest note.

Speaking to FMT, Zaman said he had a message for American drug producers: “They must not have a monopoly over drugs. They should make them available to all. It is wrong to profit heavily from the sick.”

Continued ignorance of how HIV is transmitted

PETALING JAYA (Sept 6, 2009): There are still many misconceptions in Malaysia about the mode of transmission of HIV despite awareness programmes conducted by the government and non-governmental organisations, a survey has shown.

These were mainly related to kissing, sharing meals, sitting on public toilets, using public swimming pools and causal contact, said University of Malaya psychologist Prof Low Wah Yun, who conducted the survey with two colleagues.

“It is important for these misconceptions to be dispelled in order to reduce the stigma and discrimination,” she said.

In this respect, Low said, the media could play a significant role by tackling difficult issues such as how to handle unwanted sexual advances and to negotiate condom use.

She said the number of HIV infections through heterosexual relationships was on the rise in the country due to the fact that most Malaysian men were reluctant to use condoms.

Low also highlighted the risk of contracting HIV among adolescents who did not practise safe sex.

“Worldwide, more than 50% of all new HIV infections occur in those aged between 10 and 24.

Daily, over 7000 young people are infected with HIV.”

She said that although the Health Ministry had implemented the “Prostar” programme for young people aimed at increasing knowledge of HIV/AIDS, the survey found there was still a large number of youth unaware of it.

Low suggested the programme be widely implemented especially for youth out of school and young factory workers.

She said peer education was an effective way to have young people participate in HIV prevention and care efforts.

On the rising threat of cybersex, Low said online sexual activity was the next sexual revolution, with this type of sexual expression ranging from curiosity to obsessive involvement.

To combat the growing social issue, there is an urgent need for youth-friendly sexual and reproductive health services that provide confidentiality and trust and are non-judgmental, she said. – Bernama

Stemming the alarming rise of HIV amongst women

Dec 16, 2008

Star
By LESTER KONG

PETALING JAYA: The rate of Malaysian women living with HIV is on the rise and the Health Ministry has set up a taskforce to stem this alarming trend.

Minister Datuk Liow Tiong Lai said the trend must be urgently reversed, adding that the taskforce has until next April to come out with an action plan based on World Health Organisation recommendations.

“We want women to be more careful and educate themselves on how HIV is transmitted,” he told the media after opening the national-level World AIDS Day celebration here on Tuesday.

Liow said there was an 11% rise in HIV infections among women in the 10 years since 1997.

Of women living with HIV, 75% were between 20 and 39 years of age, and of that number, 60% were married.

Another alarming trend was the low number of couples foregoing pre-marriage HIV/AIDS screenings, Liow said. The number of couples going for checks hovers between 0.05% and 0.1%.

“These screenings are not to prevent anyone from getting married. It is only to give them a chance to find out about their HIV status and take the appropriate action whether the results are positive or negative,” he said.

The good news, Liow said, was that Malaysia’s overall number of HIV cases had dropped to 16.7 cases per 100,000 Malaysians last year from a high of 28.5 cases per 100,000 in 2002.

It was projected that the number could reach 12.8 cases per 100,000 people by year end.

“This trend means it is not impossible for Malaysia to achieve the Millennium Development Goals of reducing rate of HIV infections to 11 cases per 100,000 people by 2015,” he said.

He added that the RM500mil allocation under the 2006-2010 National Strategic Plan to combat HIV/AIDS remained unchanged despite the worsening economic situation.

Women account for 50% of AIDS infections

By Karen Arukesamy
Sun2Surf

PETALING JAYA (Dec 9, 2008): The new face of AIDS is increasingly female and young.
In the early years of the AIDS pandemic, men vastly outnumbered women among people living with HIV. However, current statistics showed half the number of HIV-positive people globally are female.

More than 20 years since its first reported case in 1986, Malaysia has recorded a total of 80,938 infections.

Although the new cases reported annually have averaged at 5,640 over the past 10 years, surprisingly, the number of new infections among men has decreased steadily during the period.
The feminisation of the epidemic has bucked the previous trend of male domination among those infected in Malaysia.

The latest report by the Health Ministry and United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef), entitled Women and Girls Confronting HIV and AIDS in Malaysia 2008, revealed that new HIV infections among women rose drastically to 16% in 2007 from 1.2% in 1990, most of whom were housewives.

Women and girls made up of almost one-fifth of newly infected persons nationwide in 2006, and were mainly infected by heterosexual intercourse.

This reflects a dynamic unfolding in Malaysia: Men continue to get infected with HIV through injected drug use and women through heterosexual transmission.

Unicef representative to Malaysia Youssouf Oomar said in his keynote address that young people are very important in the struggle to control the HIV epidemic in Malaysia.

“With HIV infections rising steeply among women in the last 10 years, children are the ones who will bear the consequences of this epidemic,” he said at the launch of the report last week.

“Yet children and youth are the ones who have the power to change attitudes and behaviour, and alter the course of HIV for generations to come,” he stressed.

“Malaysia has given HIV a strong focus in the national agenda, in line with the country’s commitments to the Millennium Development Goals (MDG),” he added.

He said Malaysia is working to achieve the goal of combating HIV and AIDS by 2015.

“One of the key strategies to achieving the Sixth MDG is by addressing women and children’s vulnerability to HIV,” he said.

Youssuf said both the Health Ministry and Unicef believe there must be a gendered response to the impending HIV crisis confronting women and girls in Malaysia; a response that is sensitive to the socio-cultural context of women’s lives.

“Unicef commends Malaysia for recognising the importance of addressing HIV vulnerability among women, young people and children, as identified in Strategy 4 of the National Strategic Plan on HIV and AIDS 2006-2010,” he said.

The Unicef and UNAIDS global campaign “Unite for Children, Unite Against AIDS” complements this strategy by addressing four core components of HIV prevention among women, children and young people, he said.

“We must increase women’s and girls’ knowledge of the infection; expand access to sexual reproductive health education and testing; increase their ability to protect themselves from HIV; as well as fight gender discrimination and violence,” he said.

“We must empower women to make positive decisions in the face of the HIV epidemic – for themselves and for their children,” Youssouf said.

At the same time, men should embrace the role that they can play in creating positive change for women and children, he said.

The report’s recommendations, among others, are:
» Establish and strengthen the Women, Girls and HIV Desk;
» Enhance the availability and capacity of technical expertise at the National AIDS Secretariat;
» Increase the availability of gender dis-aggregated data and analysis;
» Undertake more social science research to examine HIV-related vulnerabilities and risks;
» Identify and implement specific programmes which address issues of HIV vulnerability for women;
» Encourage women to go for voluntary HIV counselling and testing (VCT); and
» Strengthen sexual reproductive health education and youth initiatives.

300,000 may have HIV by 2015

Dec 5, 2008

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia may have 300,000 people affected by HIV by 2015, said Datuk Dr Hassan Abdul Rahman, the Director of the Disease Control Divison of the Health Ministry.

To combat this epidemic, the Government has committed RM500mil to implement the National Strategic Plan on AIDS and the Harm Reduction programme between 2006 and 2010, he said at the launch of a Health Ministry and Unicef Report 2008 entitled Women and Girls Confronting HIV and AIDS in Malaysia yesterday.

The report was released in conjunction with the Special World AIDS Day 2008.

The National Strategic Plan on AIDS involves various government and non-government bodies as well as international agencies such as Unicef.

The daughter of the Sultan of Kedah, Datuk Seri Tunku Puteri Intan Safinaz, who launched the event, said the trend of new HIV infections occurring among women in the country had risen alarmingly from 1.2% of total new cases in 1990 to 16% in December 2007.

She said reducing the impact of HIV required that the needs and issues of women be addressed at various levels.

She said there was a need to reverse the underlying socio-economic factors that contributed to women’s HIV risks, such as gender inequality, poverty, lack of economic and educational opportunity, and the lack of legal and human rights protection. — Bernama

HIV cases on the rise in Malaysia

Nov 30, 2008
HIV cases on the rise in Malaysia, says UN coordinator

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia is suffering a setback in achieving the United Nations (UN) Millenium Development Goal (MDG) to eradicate the HIV/AIDS virus.

UN resident coordinator (Malaysia) Kamal Malhotra said the number of HIV infected people was increasing with the case reported since 1986 reaching 82,704 as of June.

He said the country faced a concentrated epidemic with 1% to 5% of certain categories having contracted the virus, adding that in line with UN guidelines, it needed to focus its resources on five high-risk categories.

These are drug users, sex workers, transsexuals, male homosexuals and migrant workers, he told a press conference after launching the Red Carnival organised by the PT Foundation at Sungei Wang Plaza here yesterday.

According to the United Nations Development Programme Malaysia website, the year 2000 saw 5% of the total population infected with HIV/AIDS. In 2006, the number had increased to 8%.

Malhotra said he believed that one of the best methods to prevent the continuous spread was better education and understanding of the virus itself, which was why he fully supported the Red Carnival.

The Red Carnival, sponsored by CIMB and UN Malaysia and supported by the Health Ministry and Malaysian AIDS Council, is aimed at galvanising the Malaysian youth to create awareness of the disease and reduce the stigma and discrimination against HIV-positives. — Ber­nama

Awareness On HIV/AIDS

Need For More Awareness On HIV/AIDS
By Melati Mohd Ariff

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 17 (Bernama) -- In 1981, the US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a warning about a rare form of pneumonia that hit a community of gays in Los Angeles.

That illness, has turned out to be what is now known as the Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (Aids) and in 1984, Human Immunodeficiency Virus or HIV was identified as the virus that caused Aids.

Malaysia's first case of HIV was diagnosed in 1986. A year earlier, the Malaysian government set up the National Aids Task Force to create policies and coordinate Aids prevention and control activities.

An Inter-Ministerial Committee to advise the Cabinet on policies, issues and strategies related to HIV and Aids was set up in 1992.

Also established in the same year was the Malaysian Aids Council (MAC), an umbrella body of Non-Governmental Organizations, to spearhead the fight against HIV and Aids.

Almost three decades since the world woke up to the harsh reality of Aids, it has not seen the last of the virus as UNAids 2008 statistics showed some alarming trend.

GLOBAL HIV AND AIDS IN 2007

The alarming fact is that HIV is not only gaining a feminine face (infecting more women) but also more young people and children around the world.

Based on UNAids Report 2008, 33 million people throughout the world have been infected with the virus in 2007 which works out to one in 180 people, considering the world population of about six billion people.

Overall, an estimated 2.0 million people died because of Aids in 2007.

Globally, women accounted for half of the people living with HIV and those aged 15-24 years old made up some 45 percent of new HIV infections worldwide.

According to the report, an estimated 370,000 children younger than 15 years old became infected with HIV in 2007.

"Outside Africa, the next hot spot is South Asia and South-East Asia. If it hits Asia the way it hits Africa, I think it could probably be worse than the financial crisis that we have now.

"UNAids and WHO (World Health Organisation) are also worried about this. That is why a lot of emphasis is put into Asia because it can really explode here," said Dr Christopher Lee, President of Malaysian Society for HIV Medicine (MaSHM) at a media workshop on Children and HIV and AIDS held here recently.

MALAYSIA'S SCENARIO

On the home turf, the picture is not rosy either. Based on the 2008 Ministry of Health's figures, between 1986 and 2007, 80,938 people tested positive for HIV.

As of Dec 31 in 2007, 10,334 people have died due to Aids.

The most number of reported HIV cases (71.8 percent) in Malaysia were among injecting drug users (IDU).

About 36 percent of reported infections were among young people between the ages of 13 to 29 years old.

There is also a worrying rise in the number infections among women and girls through heterosexual transmission.

In 1998, only 6.0 percent of new reported HIV cases were among women and girls. Ten years later, this figure rose to 16 percent.

"IDU at one time was the driver for this HIV infections but over the years the trend has stabilised. Now, the heterosexual infection is slowly gaining ground.

"Globally, heterosexual transmission is the main route for HIV infections. And when women get the HIV children could also get the virus," said Dr Kamarul Azahar Mohd Razali, Pediatric Infectious Diseases Consultant, Pediatric Institute, Kuala Lumpur Hospital.

FEMINISATION OF HIV

Commenting on the feminisation of HIV, Dr Lee who is also the Head and Senior Consultant of Infectious Diseases Unit, Hospital Sungai Buloh said that is not only a bad sign but a worrying trend as well.

"Today the piece of the pie that represents women has gone bigger. From the cumulative figures of about 81,000 people infected with HIV in Malaysia, 91.5 percent or 74,104 were men while 8.5 percent or 6,834 were women.

"In the early days, the proportion of HIV positive people in Malaysia was 99.5 percent males and only 0.5 percent involved women," he said.

He added that if the cases in Malaysia continue to increase, then the major factor could be due to sexual transmission.

"Most of us would have sex somewhere along our life. Besides using condoms, if people are monogamous, the risk is lower. If people are not monogamous but they used condoms, the risk is also lower.

"But of course the risk goes higher and higher if the amount of virus flying around the community goes higher and higher because the risk of encountering people with HIV via various risk behaviours is higher.

"As more women get infected that is the sign the virus might be spreading within the wider community. A large proportion of infected women are housewives. They might be working but they are also wives and their husbands are good provider and may infect them," Dr Lee told Bernama.

He said under the Infectious Disease Act, a doctor who diagnosed a HIV case must report it to the Ministry of Health.

"The number could be more because they did not seek treatment or seek help. Many are stigmatized and many are drug users," said Dr Lee, adding that IDU are also involved with sex workers.

According to him, based on the available statistics, 74 percent of HIV infected people are IDU, 14.4 percent heterosexual groups and 1.5 percent is MSM (Men Who Have Sex With Men).

On the treatment for the HIV positive people in the country, he said: "We have been very responsive but we have a lot of work to do. These infected people, they need treatment, care and support.

"In the early days (1992), back then we have only one of two types of drugs to play with, the most we can prolong one year or two years. By the third anniversary, they all died.

"With the drugs we have now, we help them to live a bit better. Punishing them again is something which is inhumane thing to do."

Dr Lee also said pregnant mothers are offered to be tested for HIV when they come to the clinic. If they are positive, free treatment would be provided and that reduces the risk of mother transmitting the disease to the child.

HIV KNOWS NO BOUNDS

HIV cuts across gender, race, position and ranks, Dr Kamarul Azahar said.

"This virus does not bother who you are. Once it enters a human body, it will infect, transcript, copies, multiplies and eventually kill the white blood cells which are very important in fighting off any infection that comes into the human body.

"But since 1985, the story of HIV is no more a death sentence. It has become a chronic disease just like hypertension and diabetes. There is nothing that can kill the virus but with treatment and medication, you can control it and the quality of life can improve," he explained.

Dr Kamarul Azahar said in adults, it takes between 8-10 years for a person who has been infected with HIV to develop Aids.

"In some who are lucky enough, the duration from HIV positive to Aids can last for 15 years but in children it would be faster," he said.

When HIV patients developed Aids (when the number of white cells have decreased to a level that cannot confer any protection to any infection), they would be given HAART (Highly Active Anti-Retroviral Therapy) to slow down the progress of the viral infection.

Support and care, said Dr Kamarul is very important for HIV positive people "and if the time comes for them to die, we should let them die in dignity."

IMPORTANCE OF COUNSELING AND EDUCATION

Whatever programmes need to be done where HIV and Aids are concerned, there must be awareness and behavioural change.

Dr Lee said sexual transmission must be stopped and sex education in school is one way to empower young people on the knowledge.

"In theory abstinence works. Harm reduction either using needle exchange or drug substitution (in Malaysia we are using methadone) but there is very little data to show abstinence to drug use has prevented HIV.

"In terms of sexual transmission, what is proven to work is through the use of condoms. Total use condoms worked in Thailand, it worked. In a period of 6-7 years, the rate of infection drops four-fold among healthy 21 year Thai men/boys," explained Dr Lee.

Dr Kamarul who regarded HIV and Aids as a social disease resulting from human's own high risk behaviour said the fact that the numbers of HIV positive people is increasing despite it came to be known since the 80's, it goes to show that the information on the virus has not reached the ground.

"You need to empower the young children (upper primary level) especially on sexual rights and sexual responsibility. The situation is becoming out of control because they did not have adequate information. They need to know even with the first intercourse, they can get HIV and chances for females to be infected with the virus is doubled when compared to males," he stressed.

-- BERNAMA

Journey Not Paved With Roses
By Melati Mohd Ariff
Second Of A Three-Part Feature

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 18 (Bernama) -- For two unfortunate individuals, who we shall identify as Diana Ann and Jamaliah Sulaiman, being HIV positive is like experiencing a never-ending nightmare albeit a painful one.

Both of these women, rather unfortunately, contracted the dreaded Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) from their respective husband.

What is more excruciatingly poignant is the social stigma bestowed on these two hapless persons.

Social discrimination and disgrace thrown against this duo has made matters worse as people living with HIV need all the support and strength they could get from the society.

DIANA'S SAD STORY

The petite Diana Ann, despite being infected with the HIV since 1996, portrays a picture of vigor and health.

The former nurse at a private hospital in Ipoh, Perak said she developed bouts of fever, diarrhoea and vomiting for two weeks before finding out that she had been infected with the HIV.

"When the fever failed to abate, I decided to take a full medical test at the hospital where I worked. However the result was not revealed to me, but I was referred to Hospital Kuala Lumpur (HKL)".

According to Diana Ann, the Matron who accompanied her to HKL did not respond when she queried the former about the medical test result.

Only after meeting the medical officer at HKL's Infective Disease Clinic that she was informed of the true picture, Diana Ann told Bernama after a media workshop on HIV/Aids held here recently.

The doctor's words made Diana Ann to feel numb and shell-shocked.

Diana Ann's world collapsed and shattered around her, particularly when her husband vehemently denied that he had infected her with the HIV.

After the news on her predicament broke out, Diana Ann's colleagues began to shun her and the management had moved her to another department for desk duties.

The misgivings did not stop there. The congregation at the church that Diana Ann regularly attended had also avoided her.

"I thought that I would get the support from the church's community but I was wrong".

All the discrimination and stigma had hurt badly.

"If there is a cut, we could always apply the bandage and medication, but what could we do if the emotion is hurt?" she said.

CLOSE TO SUICIDE

With her deteriorating physical and mental conditions, at that time Diana Ann felt that there was only one way out, by committing suicide.

"I saw no other way out. I invited two companions to go on a cruise ship. At about 2am, I told them that I wished to take some fresh air. I went to the deck and planned to make a jump (into the sea).

"I had left my friends a farewell note and also to my younger sister. As I was about to make the jump, two of the ships security personnel approached me and asked what I was doing at a prohibited area.

"I told them that I was merely taking some fresh air. I returned to my cabin and cried. At that moment, I felt that God was so close to me", said Diana Ann.

Diana Ann returned to Kuala Lumpur and met her doctor, Christopher Lee. Dr Lees reassuring words are still fresh in her mind.

He had said: "Diana, turn all the lemons (sourness) in your life into a sweet drink that you can give to others for them to quench their thirst".

From that moment onwards Diana Ann grew from strength to strength.

JAMALIAH'S HEART-WRENCHING TALE

Meanwhile, for 42-year-old Jamaliah, she came to know that she was infected with HIV after undergoing a medical check-up at a private laboratory in Klang some 10 years ago after the demise of her husband, who was a known injected drugs user.

"I was lost, not knowing what to do after learning that I had been infected with the HIV. I feared telling my family and did not know where to get counseling".

Jamaliah said despite being HIV positive, she remarried as this was the wish of her late mother who was paralysed and vision-impaired.

She said the situation then was so difficult and knew that she would get the blame.

The Klang-born Jamaliah said her husband discovered the real situation when she was about four months pregnant. He was given counseling on how to prevent the transmission of the virus but their marital relation soured and finally the couple had to part ways.

She gave birth to a son, also found to be HIV positive. The small boy was referred to the Kuala Lumpur Paediatric Institute under the care of Dr Kamarul Azahar Mohd Razali.

The institute is the first support organisation that provided Jamaliah with the counseling on her situation.

"From that moment, I realised that there are people who still care for me and the road to the future is still widely clear.

"Before that it was very dark and gloomy for me and I felt guilty for passing on the virus to my son," she said.

Jamaliah said people around her had given tremendous support for her to move on and she was never left in the dark alone.

"I became (emotionally) tough not only due to the assistance from the doctors but my friends did a fine job as well in rebuilding my confidence. They also made my family to welcome me back," said Jamaliah.

HIV POSITIVE BABY

For Jamaliah, life has also presented her with another challenging task as her youngest child also carries the HIV.

From her earlier marriage, Jamaliah has a daughter and she also has an adopted son. Both of them are HIV negative.

She said if her older children got sick, they would be alright after being given medication but for her HIV-afflicted youngest son, the fever would prolong for several days prompting her to seek medical attention.

Jamaliah said she began telling her youngest son, Ujang, about the condition he was in, when the boy reached six years old.

Ujang's plight unfolded when he was not allowed to enroll at a primary school after Jamaliah informed the school management that her son was HIV positive.

However Dr Kamarul stepped in and after explaining the situation and true picture to the school authorities, they relented and Ujang was finally given a place at the school.

But for Jamaliah, the path towards adulthood for Ujang was not paved with roses but instead littered with thorns.

It was heart-wrenching for this young mother when her youngest son started to pose questions, and among the most painful was: "How much longer could I live?(before succumbing to the disease)".

CHARITY WORK

For both Diana Ann and Jamaliah, they understand well the predicament that they were in and had grown tougher meeting the challenges that lie ahead.

Via the "Positive Living" programme organised by the PT Foundation, a non-governmental organisation (NGO) that is active in providing assistance to people living with HIV and Aids, both of these women obtained the much needed moral support that they needed.

Diana Ann is now a full-time volunteer with the foundation and conducts charity work including visiting patients at hospital.

She had been to Durban, South Africa in the year 2000 to relate and share her experience living with the virus with HIV sufferers there.

According to Diana Ann, she learnt from her friends that her (former) husband had died last year.

"It is sad as I still could not forgive him", she said.

Jamaliah, who is also a volunteer with the foundation, said she would continue with her charity work apart from continuing life with her children.

"I have moved past the dark zone and now I am in the bright stretch. I would continue assisting friends and use my experience to help others," she said.

Jamaliah advised those who have been inflected with HIV as well as people who have risks of being infected with the virus to seek immediate medical attention and supports from the NGOs.

Now this gutsy lady is no longer alone facing the battle as last May, she tied the knot with another volunteer with the foundation, Marhalem Mansur.

Marhalem is also HIV positive.

"My husband helped me a lot. I may reach the Aids stage but I am contented and if I have to go (die), I have a husband who can look after my children including Ujang," she said.

The parting words from Diana Ann and Jamaliah: "Please do not discriminate against people living with HIV".

-- BERNAMA

More Support Needed For HIV Positive People
By Melati Mohd Ariff
The Final Part Of A Three-Part Feature

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 19 (Bernama) - Malaysians are well known for their kindness and generosity. When a misfortune happens, many would be willing to come forward and show that they care for the unfortunate victims.

But many would shy away whenever any issues related to the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (Aids) cropped out.

The fear that they could be infected with the virus if they come into contact with people who are HIV positive or those living with Aids have prompted them to react in such a manner.

This apprehension has created a social stigma that resulted in the bigotry and continuous discrimination against those who are HIV positive.

What hurts more is that this prejudice is not only limited to the surrounding community but also within the family circle.

POOR AWARENESS

For Indra Kumari Nadchatram, this prejudice rears its ugly head due to the lack of knowledge and poor awareness on HIV and Aids among members of the society.

Indra, who is the Malaysian communications officer with the United Nations Children's Fund (Unicef) has the experience of some 10 years dealing with HIV positive and Aids afflicted people while serving with the Malaysian Aids Foundation.

"There are those who have no knowledge on HIV transmission. That is why they fear to be in close contact with the HIV positive people. They are really scared," she told Bernama.

She called for accurate information on HIV/Aids to be well disseminated among the public, including those from the younger age groups.

Based on the UNAids report issued last August, 45 per cent of the worlds new HIV infection cases belonged to people within the 15-24 years old age bracket, she said.

"In Malaysia, one third of the HIV cases involved individuals aged between 13 and 29 years old. This is a cause for concern.

"We need to educate the younger generation for them not to go wrong in their decision."

Indra said education is the best vehicle in this aspect and the key message is to stay away from high-risk behaviour."

For the youngsters, the priority is for them to strive hard to achieve what they want for their future, apart from gaining experience from people who are around them.

SUPPORT, DISGRACE

According to Indra, social factors like discrimination, stigmatisation and rejection have pushed people living with HIV to become desperate and feel hopeless, to the extent of giving up their life.

Lack of support from family members is also crucial, she said.

"I have actually seen how lack of support and stigma really makes people lose hope. How can they live if nobody is willing to listen to their problems?"

She said many among those who were HIV positive feared consulting the doctors as they did not wish other people to know about their predicament.

"They also refrained from confiding with friends, scared for they may lose their jobs. This made them to live in phobia and their condition become worse as they need proper and adequate treatment that could provide them with better life," she told Bernama after a media workshop on Children and HIV and Aids held here recently.

POIGNANT EXPERIENCE

Indra recounted her experience with a couple, whom she identified as only Zaki and Ina.

Both Zaki and his wife were HIV positive. Zaki, who was an injected drug user (IDU), transmitted the virus to Ina. The couple was shunned by their respective families.

According to Indra, Ina's family placed the fault on Zaki and it was the otherwise for Zakis' family.

Consequently, Zaki and Ina went their separate ways and returned to their respective families. Both had died.

Indra has another interesting recollection. It was about a guy whom she called Zack.

"When the doctor told Zack's mum that she should not share anything that her son used including the plates and bowls, the mother said if my son died I will also die. Never mind, we will eat from the same plate. Mother's love knows no bounds," said Indra.

Indra said Zack lived for 18 years after he was diagnosed as HIV positive and he was very fortunate as his family, particularly the unconditional love from his mother, gave him so much support.

Indra also related another sad happening where a repented sex worker who had contracted the virus was shunned by her family members until she breathed her last. Volunteers from PT Foundation took care of her burial.

The PT Foundation, previously known as the Pink Triangle, is a NGO created in 1987 to provide counseling on Aids and HIV.

Among the organisations well known activities is the "Positive Living" programme for people living with HIV and Aids.

BUDDIES SOCIETY

Meanwhile, Afizah Bani Hashim, a volunteer with the Ipoh-based Buddies Society, said the organisation handled about 200 cases in Perak of which half involved women.

Afizah herself handles 20 cases, most of whom are HIV-infected single mothers.

She said the fear of being rejected by the society has forced these HIV positive persons not to revel their true position.

"Once, I had to bring a HIV-positive woman to the hospital. Unfortunately, she also had cancer and no neighbours were willing to assist her to get into my car. I had to carry her by myself," said Afizah.

Afizah also related another case where a woman became HIV positive due to her husband. The woman's youngest child was also found to be HIV positive.

"She did not know that her husband had the virus. When he became badly sick, his family took him back to their village where he died. She only learnt the cause of his demise from the death certificate.

"Later, after a (blood screening) test, the woman found out that she and her youngest child also had the virus. The woman later died due to the dengue fever," said Afizah.

She said the woman's uncle took care of the child. Unfortunately the teacher at the child's kindergarten resorted to telling the pre-schooler to stay home whenever the child needed to take the medication for the sickness.

The child was ignored at the kindergarten to the extent that the child had lost interest. According to Afizah, the last time she heard about this unfortunate case was that the child had been sent to an orphanage.

VISITING THE PATIENTS

A full-time PT Foundation volunteer, who wished to be known as Mitch, said the volunteers also visited the HIV patients during their hospital stay including at night.

Mitch, 41, said he decided to become a volunteer at the foundation after reading an article that the remains of the HIV-infected people had to be bathed in disinfectants like clorox.

"I became very sad after reading the article and the article also had information on the PT Foundation and its Positive Living programme," he said.

Among the HIV-positive individuals who received Mitch's attention during his early days with the foundation were an eight-year-old boy and a girl, 6.

Mitch said, "The boy's mum had died and he got the virus from his dad. We saw him every night. On one particular night, we noticed him behaving strangely and a colleague whispered the Al-Fatihah in the boy's ears".

That happened to be Mitch's last visit to see the boy as the child died the next day.

As for the girl, Mitch remembered that she was a jovial kid.

Mitch recalled that the girl had sores on her head and he was not happy to see how the hospital staff treated this unfortunate child.

"The way they bathed her, sometimes they put back the wet and soaked garments on her. We would bring her fresh clothes and clean her up again.

"At night when she urinated in her sleep, there was nobody who would care to change her clothes. She was very jovial but God loved her more. She had passed way," said a rather distraught Mitch when recollecting his experience.

DISCRIMINATION AGAINST HIV POSITIVE INDIVIDUALS

According to Mitch, discrimination against those who are HIV positive and people living with Aids is still hugely extensive among Malaysians.

He concurred with Indra's views that this situation was a result of the lack of knowledge in HIV and Aids.

The authorities and the media fraternity have the crucial role to play in this aspect, said Mitch.

He blamed the entertainment industry for falsely portraying the HIV sufferers as people who have no bearings on their life.

"Look at the dramas that depicted the HIV-infected individuals as those who were unkempt, gaunt, thin and emaciated. These are all false. We have cases that have lived for 15, 16 years with HIV but are healthy even without medication."

Mitch said the wrong portrayal had influenced the society, making people to despise and discriminate against the HIV-positive people.

He said slogans like "AIDS is the killer" and "HIV is a threat" should not be used as they carry negative connotations.

At the same time, the family members of HIV-positive individuals should also shoulder the responsibility in providing assistance and support for these people, he said.

DOCTORS VIEWS

For Dr Wong Zhiqin, 28, those afflicted with the virus and syndrome should also strive towards improving their own health.

"The problem is from the younger group. Most of them do not have high education and simply do not care about their life. We have to remind them about HIV not once, but many times.

"They come to the clinic but it depends on their mood. They are still like small kids. When they feel healthy they don't bother to come. We have to repeatedly telling them to take their medicines, not to default," Dr Wong who is a member of the Malaysian Society for HIV Medicine (MaSHM) told Bernama.

Dr Wong, who handles HIV and Aids cases at the Infective Diseases (ID)Clinic said: "With the treatment that we have nowadays, people with HIV can lead a normal life like the others particularly if they receive good support from their family members especially their parents".

-- BERNAMA

Conservative Malaysia faces uphill battle in HIV fight

www.reuters.com/
Thu Jul 31, 2008
By Tan Ee Lyn

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - Strict laws and conservative attitudes are making the fight against HIV/AIDS harder in predominately Muslim Malaysia as they drive high-risk groups deeper underground.

Soliciting and sodomy are outlawed and there are heavy penalties for illegal drug use.

While lobbying from activists has won government support for HIV/AIDS prevention programs, distributing condoms and clean needles, implementation is far from easy.

Celine Ng, who runs a program distributing clean needles to drug addicts, knows that only too well.

Each day, her colleagues, many of them former drug addicts, lie in wait in abandoned buildings, on the fringes of jungles and dumpsites, where they give out clean needles to addicts in exchange for used ones.

Asked what her biggest challenge was, Ng answered instantly: "The police. They wait outside and (then conduct raids) and they say we are informers.

"Even my staff encounter problems with them. We have the endorsement of the narcotics (authorities) and we give needles, not drugs. So if they catch our clients with drugs, we can't stop them, but you can't catch those with just needles."

For homosexuals and sex workers, laws make it difficult to distribute condoms in gay venues because they are often used as evidence of the offence in court.

Anal and oral sex, even between consenting adults, is regarded as a "heinous crime" and is punishable by up to 20 years in prison. While prostitution is not illegal, soliciting is punishable by up to 10 years in prison.

Drug trafficking carries a mandatory death sentence.

DRIVEN UNDERGROUND

"They (people in high risk groups) are driven underground, so you can't reach them," said Adeeba Kamarulzaman, president of the government-backed Malaysian AIDS Council.

"We have (our) outreach workers getting arrested. They (authorities) raid and catch everyone, we are forever trying to bail out our outreach workers from the lockup, which is a major headache on a day-to-day basis," she said.

Injecting drug users in Malaysia make up the largest risk group for HIV/AIDS, or 65 percent of the 4,549 new infections in 2007. The country had 80,938 people living with HIV/AIDS at the end of 2007, with 13,635 of them suffering full-blown AIDS.

But sources familiar with the HIV/AIDS situation in this country of 26 million people say the problem may be graver than the figures suggest.

"Infections are going up but surveillance is very poor in Malaysia," said Raymond Tai of the Pink Triangle (PT) Foundation, which runs drop-in centers for major risk groups like sex workers, drug addicts and transsexuals in Kuala Lumpur.

"Many young gay men only know of their illness for the first time when they are warded with AIDS. How long have they been positive, how long have they been infectious? It is critical."

He said one in four men who have sex with men is HIV positive in Bangkok and there was a rising trend in Hong Kong.

"Those who came in for HIV testing and identified themselves as men who have sex with men, 10 percent tested positive. This is very high and consistent with what is happening in the region," he said.

The 10 percent figure came from tests conducted by PT Foundation between mid 2006 and end 2007.

MOVING INTO GENERAL POPULATION

What's worrying is the disease is moving away from high-risk groups to women in general.

"These (high risk) groups don't exist in isolation, drug users have wives, drug users patronize sex workers, they buy sex, they sell sex," said Kamarulzaman.

Concerned groups are trying to push out HIV/AIDS prevention messages, difficult in an environment where advertisements are under tight state control.

Condom ads are not allowed on national television, except in certain contexts such as promoting use between married couples.

"You can't use anything deemed pornographic," Tai said.

"When gay men are in a place picking up other men, (brochures) are competing (for attention). You have all the good looking men there and you are giving out boring information. Who is going to read it?"

Activists stress that more must be done, with the government first acknowledging the situation and cooperating with non-government organizations in spreading anti-HIV information.

"The number of sex workers has grown in Kuala Lumpur," said Rachel, a former sex worker who is now an outreach worker with PT trying to teach safe sex.

"Some university students, housewives and office workers do sex work part-time for money."

Her colleague, Jamie, agreed: "Some of them are so scared they won't even accept condoms from us because they think we are undercover police."

(Editing by Nick Macfie and Jerry Norton)

Call to carry condoms

Sunday June 1, 2008
Staronline
By LISA GOH

PETALING JAYA: In view of the rising number of women contracting HIV, every woman should carry a condom with her for her own protection, said Deputy Health Minister Datuk Dr Abdul Latiff Ahmad.

“This is not to debase them but to protect them. Women are the first ones to get exploited by their partners. But this is just a suggestion, it’s up to them,” he told the press after delivering his speech at the International AIDS Memorial Day here yesterday.


Remembering the dead: Participants of the AIDS Memorial Day celebration lighting candles in memory of those who had died of the disease in Petaling Jaya yesterday.

It was the first time that the International AIDS Memorial Day was celebrated openly in Malaysia. The celebration was attended by about 1,000 people.

According to Health Ministry figures, 745 women contracted HIV last year. It is a slight dip compared to 2006 (875), but the general trend is that the numbers are on the rise.

As for AIDS cases, 193 women were diagnosed with the syndrome, and 131 women died from it, while in 2006, 222 women were diagnosed positive and 80 died from it.

Malaysian AIDS Council president Prof Dr Adeeba Kamarulzaman said apart from sex workers, many women who contracted HIV were housewives, infected unknowingly by their husbands who could be drug addicts.

“It’s not that people don’t know that condoms can protect them. But there are some men who do not care to take the precaution even though they know they have HIV.”

The figures also showed that last year alone, three people died of AIDS each day in Malaysia.

By ethnicity breakdown, Malays recorded the highest number of HIV sufferers (58,267 in total), followed by Chinese (11,886), Indians (6,532) and foreigners (2,722).

“One reason why Malays are the highest (recorded) is because of our large population. But it’s also because of the high number of injecting drug users.

“I urge the Malay leaders and the Malay non-governmental organisations to come forward to champion this cause,” Dr Abdul Latiff said.